by Richard Bashara

Created on: July 01, 2008

The Winner By Decision

The wisest of us all will live long enough to tell you that you ought not to relive the glory days, cus they shouldn't never have left you. Sometimes though, I just can't help it. It used to be, I'd be sitting there in front of the color TV when all of a sudden Emma'd come in shouting over the Odd Couple about this or that, and I'd just look at my hands, you know, kind of all sorry-like, but they weren't gonna do nothing for me. So I just set there nodding at poor Emma babbling on about who knows what. She'd say "I'm gonna cook dinner now. You ought to be a little bit more appreciative of the things I do for you around here! I aint no dang maid, and you sure as heck don't pay me."

She kept on saying that she hates to raise her voice. I hate it when she does that too, it's an unpretty thing that just about pierces my ear drums. I can't listen to it for very long or I start to get the fight back in me and Em's never been too receptive about when I get the fight. Well, I'd start yelling at her, "Quit your belly achin and let me get back to the TV."

I still work out, sure as sunshine. Just about the only thing not working in my favor is this here beer gut. I keep thinking maybe one day, someone at the gym'll see me throwing shadow punches and wonder about where I came from and what I did. I Keep thinking like, maybe someone'll step up and want a piece and then I'll get to show em, at least once more. It never comes, they just watch my beer gut bounce like one hairy sweaty tit under my used to be pecs, while my old man flab swings in the wind of tired punches.

I can't do the jump rope for barely three minutes.
Aged like a cheap wine.

And I feel it too. Days like today where I get off from work and come home after a long day of hauling camera equipment around the Panavision loading bay. Studio exec types dressed in suits that cost more than my highest prize fight win. I often wonder why people spend so much money on just one thing when they could eat, or drink, or take their family out. Anyway, I just keep on lifting them cameras, I come home, I eat with Em and Pete, and I go to bed.
Well, Em and I had a real good time once and Pete popped out. You can imagine I was a bit surprised, but by then We'd already conceded to marry and I suppose it wasn't nothing you would call unwelcome. Pete's just about the closest thing there is to a prize fight pot.
So we got this dumpy little studio with a rickety old AC wall unit, and I took a day job as a dock worker

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